Thursday, 17 October 2013

Haruki's usual impromptu duet with a pianist in the adjoining music room has suddenly been complemented by some unknown vocalist with a beautiful voice - you can hardy blame him, then, for rushing to the rooftop to find its source.

Of course, we could already have guessed who the owner of that voice would be - none other than Setsuna Ogiso. Despite his better judgement, he asks her to join the light music club with the school festival coming ever closer, and of course the following morning she rejects his offer - a rejection made worse by Haruki's friends assuming it was a rejection of a more personal kind.

This isn't where the story ends however, as Ogiso's love of singing if far-reaching indeed, and her initial, wavering rejection soon crumbles, perhaps helped on a little by Haruki noticing his potential bandmate dressed frumpily and working in secret in a local shop. After taking him out to karaoke so that she can strut her stuff, Setsuna agrees to join the club - the trouble is, she does so under the assumption that the mystery pianist is also a member of the band. Thus, Haruki has no choice but to try and convince this individual, whoever they might be, to join their club - something which is easier said than done as the person in question seems determined to retain an air of mystery around them.

Two episodes in there's really nothing substantial to say about White Album 2 - its premise and the way its story so far are playing out is all pretty cheesy and predictable, so this certainly isn't a show that's going to win any awards for its narrative. That said, this second instalment is actually kind of fun - Haruki is still more likeable than your average visual novel protagonist, and his chemistry with the enthusiastic Setsuna works well for the most part. Assuming the unveiling of our mystery pianist doesn't destroy this dynamic, all the pieces are in place for a passable piece of entertainment - without the unique factors of its predecessors, that's pretty much the best White Album 2 can hope for.